Catalytic hydrocracking of light olefins

ABSTRACT

A novel process and a novel catalyst for the production of light olefins. 1-butene is cracked in the presence of an acid- or base-modified silicalite-1 catalyst bed, wherein the modified silicalite-1 has a Si/Al ratio of greater than 1000. The modification procedures described herein increase the selectivity of the silicalite-1 catalyst toward light olefins such as ethylene and propylene. The catalytic cracking of 1-butene may be carried out in a fixed bed reactor or a fluidized bed reactor.

The present application is a continuation application of Ser. No.14/538,993, now allowed, having a filing date of Nov. 12, 2014.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technical Field

The present invention relates to processes and catalysts for productionof light olefins. More specifically, the present invention relates tomodified silicalite-1 catalysts that may be used to convert 1-buteneinto ethylene and propylene.

Description of the Related Art

The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description which may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentinvention.

Several on-purpose propylene production technologies are beinginvestigated and have some been commercialized, such asmethanol-to-olefins (MTO), propane dehydrogenation, catalytic crackingof butenes and olefin metathesis. Among these methods, butene crackinghas attracted much attention due to the availability of large and stablesupplies of butenes from FCC and stream cracking processes. The processoffers refiners and petrochemical producers a high degree of flexibilityto their cracking units. Cracking of butenes appears to be a promisingtechnology for production of ethylene and propylene. There is ongoingresearch on highly reactive yet selective catalysts for the purpose oflight olefin production by cracking of butenes. Currently, the catalyststhat are being investigated include H-ZSM-5, H-ZSM-48, MCM-22 andPITQ-13. However, most of these catalysts are acidic in nature and favorthe production of higher hydrocarbons, especially C₆+ aromatics.

Zhu et al. (Applied Catalysis A: General, 2005, v. 288, pp.134-142—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) investigatedthe effects of zeolite pore structure and Si/Al ratio catalytic crackingof 1-butene to propylene and ethylene over medium-pore 10-membered ringzeolites and the small-pore SAPO zeolite. The smaller the pore size ofthe zeolites, the greater the extent of suppression of the hydrogentransfer reaction of alkenes, and the higher the propylene selectivity.

Lin et al. (Journal of Catalysis, 2014, v. 309, pp. 136-145—incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety) reported that the H-ZSM-5 modifiedwith phosphorous to reduce the number of the strong acid sites showedthe best performance in catalytic cracking of 1-butene to propylene. Itwas suggested that adjusting the acid site distribution is important.

Johnson et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,087—incorporated herein by referencein its entirety) discloses a catalytic cracking process for producinglight olefins rich in propylene from C₄-C₇ olefins using a catalystcontaining ZSM-5 and/or ZSM-11 having initial Si/Al ratio greater thanabout 300 in a fluidized-bed reactor or a fixed-bed swing reactor.

Voskoboynikov et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,314,963—incorporated herein byreference in its entirety) discloses a process for producing propyleneand ethylene from catalytic cracking of C₄-C₁₀, olefins over a sphericalcatalyst comprising MFI-type zeolite having Si/Al ratio between 400 and500 at 500-600° C.

Dath et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,951,968 and 7,384,883—each incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety) describes a method for producing acatalyst for olefin cracking comprising the steps of heating a ZSM-5catalyst in steam to remove aluminum from the crystalline silicateframework, extracting aluminum from the pores of the catalyst frameworkby contacting the catalyst with a complexing agent for aluminum toincrease the silicon/aluminum atomic ratio of the catalyst and calciningthe catalyst at an elevated temperature.

Colombo et al. (European Patent No. EP0109060A1—incorporated herein byreference in its entirety) discloses a process for the conversion ofC₄-C₁₂ olefins into propylene over zeolites selected from silicalites,boralites, chromosilicates, ZSM-5 and ZSM-11 (Si/Al molar ratio is above350), at a space velocity of from 5 to 200 kg/h of olefins per kgzeolite and at a temperature of from 400 to 600° C. The silicalite-1 iseither ion-exchanged, impregnated, or co-precipitated with a modifyingelement such as Cr, Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba.

Heng et al. (Japanese Patent No. JP04335144B2—incorporated herein byreference in its entirety) discloses a process for producing lowerolefins (propylene and ethylene) using an MFI zeolite catalyst havingSi/Al molar ratio of 280-5000. The variation of C₄ olefins in the feedstream (from 0 to 61.2%) was studied and a propylene yield of 32 wt. %was observed at 550° C. using Si/Al molar ratio of 500 and 40 wt. %butenes in a paraffinic feed stream.

In view of the foregoing, the objective of the present invention is toprovide new methods and new catalysts for producing ethylene andpropylene from butene. The catalysts may be subject to pre-treatment tosignificantly enhance their production and selectivity toward the lightolefins.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect, the present invention relates a process ofproducing ethylene and propylene comprising contacting 1-butene in areactor with modified silicalite-1 crystals to catalytically crack the1-butene to form a mixture comprising ethylene and propylene. Themodified silicalite-1 crystals have an MFI framework, a Si/Al ratio ofgreater than 1000 and are at least one of acid-treated and base-treated.

In one or more embodiments, the catalytic cracking is carried out in thepresence of an inert gas.

In one or more embodiments, the catalytic cracking is carried out at areactor temperature within the range of 450° C. to 750° C.

In one or more embodiments, the catalytic cracking is carried out withan on-stream time of 1 to 5 hours.

In one or more embodiments, the catalytic cracking is carried out at ahydrocarbon partial pressure within the range of 5 psia to 50 psia.

In one or more embodiments, the catalytic cracking is carried out at agas hourly space velocity of 600 h⁻¹ to 10000 h⁻¹.

In one or more embodiments, the reactor is selected from the groupconsisting of a fluidized bed reactor and a fixed bed reactor.

In one or more embodiments, the modified silicalite-1 crystals have anaverage particle size of 0.02 mm to 1.0 mm in diameter.

In one or more embodiments, the silicalite-1 crystals are calcinatedbefore and/or after acid or base treatment.

In one or more embodiments, the process produces at least 50 wt. % totalethylene and propylene based on the total weight of the 1-butene subjectto cracking.

In one or more embodiments, the process produces ethylene and propylenein a ratio (ethylene:propylene) of 1:2 to 1:3.

According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a processof preparing a silicalite-1 catalyst for catalytic cracking of 1-butenecomprising contacting silicalite-1 crystals having an MFI framework anda Si/Al ratio of greater than 1000 with either an acid or a base aqueoussolution.

In one or more embodiments, the process further comprises calcination ofthe silicalite-1 crystals. The acid or base treatment is carried out ata temperature within the range of 80° C. to 120° C.

The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of generalintroduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of the followingclaims. The described embodiments, together with further advantages,will be best understood by reference to the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating the XRD patterns of silicalite-1,HCl-washed silicalite-1 and NH₃-treated silicalite-1.

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating the effect of time on stream on theyields of ethylene and propylene over silicalite-1, HCl-washedsilicalite-1 and NH₃-treated silicalite-1 from 1-butene cracking at 550°C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The present invention relates to a process of producing light olefins(i.e. ethylene and propylene) by 1-butene cracking in the presence ofmodified silicalite-1 catalysts.

Zeolites are crystalline molecular sieves composed mainly of silica andalumina. Silicalite-1 is a type of synthetic zeolite conventionally usedto remove harmful organic compounds, such as methyl tort-butyl ether(MTBE) from groundwater. Silicalite-1 has a pentasil MFI framework ofintersecting 10 membered-ring pore channels. Silicalite-1 is madewithout aluminum or, in accordance with the present invention,silicalite-1 is substantially free of aluminum, having a Si/Al ratio ofgreater than 1000, for example 1000-2500, preferably 1500-2000.

For purposes of the present invention, the Si/Al ratio refers to theSi/Al atomic ratio of the overall crystalline zeolite material and notjust the MFI framework, which may be determined by chemical analysis,such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

The silicalite-1 used herein may be synthesized as a powder or anaggregate consisting of small crystals, using a wide variety oftechniques, such as a hydrothermal method of growing silicalite-1crystals. Synthesis processes, aside from catalysts, may further includeadditives such as binders, structure directing agents or templates (e.g.tetrapropyl ammonium cation). In one embodiment, the silicalite-1crystals may be of nanorange with an average particle size of no greaterthan 1000 nm, preferably 50-500 nm, more preferably 50-250 nm. Inanother embodiment, the silicalite-1 crystals have an average particlesize of 0.02-2.5 mm in diameter, preferably 0.1-2.0 mm, more preferably0.5-1.0 mm. Silica sources for the synthesis of silicalite-1 may beselected from colloidal silica sols or tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)or fumed silica. Examples of colloidal silica sols include Ludox™ (39.8wt. % SiO₂, 0.11 wt. % Na₂O, particle size 22-24 nm) and Ludox LS (30.8%SiO₂, 0.108 wt. % Na₂O, particle size 11-13 nm).

Other physical properties of the silicalite-1 crystals described hereinare d_(spacing) values ranging between 3.5-4.0 (preferably 3.8-3.9),surface area between 350-450 m²/g (preferably 360-430 m²/g), pore volumeof 0.15-0.30 cm³/g (preferably 0.18-0.28 cm³/g) and pore diameter of20-25 Å (preferably 21.5-22.5 Å).

It has been found that treatment of silicalite-1 crystals with either anacid or a base enhances the production of ethylene and propylene fromcracking of 1-butene (catalyzed by the modified silicalite-1 crystals).In certain embodiments, cracking of 1-butene in the presence of acid- orbase-modified silicalite-1 catalysts produces at least 50 wt. % ofethylene and propylene based on the total weight of 1-butene subject tocracking, preferably 52-52.5 wt. %, more preferably 55-60 wrt. %. Theamount of ethylene produced is at least 14 wt. %, preferably 14.5-15.5wt. %, more preferably 16-18 wt. %. Propylene yield, on the other hand,is at least 35 wt. %, preferably 35.5-37.5 wt. %, more preferably38.5-45 wt. %.

Catalytic cracking of 1-butene in the presence of the acid- orbase-modified silicalite-1 catalysts preferably fords a product havingan ethylene/propylene (E/P) product ratio (wt.:wt.) of 1:2 to 1:3,preferably 1:2.2 to 1:2.8.

Compared to unmodified silicalite-1 crystals, the improvement in theoverall ethylene and propylene yield is at least 20%. In one embodiment,the yield improvement is greater than 30%. In yet another embodiment,the yield improvement is greater than 35%. The E/P product ratio is 1.3to 1:5.

Cations are typically required to balance the net negative charge on azeolite framework created by the presence of AlO₄ ⁵⁻ anions. Thesecharge-balancing cations are later exchanged into H⁻ cations, thereforeforming Bronsted acid sites (strong acid sites). It is known that fourtypes of OH groups exist on the surface of silicalite-1. These areterminal silanol, geminal silanol, vicinal silanol and nest silanol. Thestrength of these OH groups was reported to be in the order,terminal<germinal<vicinal<nest. It was reported that pKa of the terminalsilanol on silica was 4.9 at room temperature. The OH groups onsilicalite-1 are assumed to increase their acid strength as thetemperature increases, and act as Brønsted acid at a high temperature.Actually, the nest silanol groups are recognized to be active sites foran acid-catalyzed reaction of Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanoneoxime to ε-caprolactam carried out in the temperature range 350-400° C.The more plausible as active sites for propene formation was examined byoriginating strong acid sites from a trace amount of Al in silicalite-1or the surface silanol groups, by treating silicalite-1 with HCl todealuminate and with NH₃ to enrich the surface silanol groups. It isanticipated that if the strong acid sites act as the active sites, thepropene yield would be decreased by HCl treatment, and if the surfacesilanol groups act as active sites, the propene yield would be increasedby NH₃ treatment.

By HCl treatment, 15% of Al in silicalite-1 was removed (ICP analysis).The propene yield at 550° C. over the dealuminated silicalite-1(silicalite-1(HCl)) was increased to a small extent (34.1 to 35.6 C-wt%). By NH₃ treatment, the surface OH groups were enriched and thepropene yield at 500° C. over the NH₃ treated silicalite-1(silicalite-1(NH₃)) increased to a considerable extent (34.1 to 39.1C-wt %). These results are in favor of the possibility that silanolgroups are relevant to the formation of propene from 1-butene, though itis not certain which types of silanol groups are relevant to thereaction.

Acids that are suitable for washing of silicalite-1 are preferablystrong acids that include, for example, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acidand nitric acid. Acid solutions may be within a concentration range of0.1 M to 2 M, preferably 0.5-1.5 M.

In an alternative embodiment, organic acids (with carboxyl group —COOH)such acetic acid, formic acid and citric in the same concentrationranges described above may be used for the washing of silicalite-1.

For base treatment of silicalite-1, preferred bases include NaOH, KOHand ammonia. In one embodiment, silicalite-1 may be treated in anaqueous solution of ammonia and an ammonium salt such as ammoniumcarbonate, ammonium chloride and ammonium nitrate.

Both the acid and base treatment processes of the silicalite-1 may becarried out for a duration of up 48 h, preferably with heating up to atemperature of 80° C. to 120° C., preferably 90° C. to 110° C.

Furthermore, silicalite-1 crystals prepared according to methodsdescribed herein may be subject to a thermal treatment process such ascalcination before and/or after the acid/base modification, an elevatedtemperature such as 600° C. to 800° C., preferably 650° C. to 750° C.

The catalytic cracking of 1-butene may be conducted in a continuous,circulating fluidized-bed reactor or a fixed-bed reactor. Afluidized-bed is simply a fixed-bed through which fluid flows at such ahigh velocity that the bed is loosened and the particle-fluid mixturebehaves as though it is a fluid.

In fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) processes, a relatively heavyhydrocarbon feedstock admixed with a suitable, immobilized crackingcatalyst to provide a fluidized suspension, is cracked in an elongatedreactor, or tower, at elevated temperatures to provide a mixture oflighter hydrocarbon products. The reaction products and spent catalystsare discharged from the tower into a separator, e.g. a cyclone unit,located within the upper section of an enclosed stripping vessel, orstripper, with the reaction products being conveyed to a productrecovery zone and the spent catalysts entering a dense catalyst bed withthe lower section of the stripper.

The hydrocarbon feedstock used for the catalytic cracking processdescribed herein contains at least 95 wt. % 1-butene, preferably morethan 98 wt. %, even more preferably more than 99 wt. %. Impurities thatmay be present in the 1-butene include butadiene, isobutene, 2-butene(cis- and trans-) and isobutylene. Small amounts of higher linearolefins such as pentenes or hexenes may also be present in thefeedstock. These small amounts are generally no more than 0.005 wt. %,for example 0.002%-0.003%, preferably 0.001%-0.002%. The 1-butene may beprepared by various methods, including purification by distillation(e.g. fractionation, extractive, etc.) from C₄ mixtures from refineriesand stream cracking units. In particular, 1-butene may be purified froma feedstock comprising a C₄ cut from an FCC unit in a crude oil refineryor a crude oil refinery for producing methyl tert-butyl ether. Such C₄cuts typically contain about 50 wt. % olefins.

The catalytic cracking of 1-butene may be carried out with an on-streamtime of 30 min to 8 h, preferably 1-5 h, and in the presence of an inertgas such as nitrogen. As used herein, on-stream time is the actual timethat a reactor is operating and producing products. The reaction may beoperated at temperatures between 450° C. and about 700° C., preferably500° C. to 650° C., more preferably 540° C. to 600° C. Operationconditions also include hydrocarbon partial pressures of 5 psia (35 kPa)to 50 psia (345 kPa), preferably 10-40 psia, more preferably 15-30 psia.Additionally, the gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) based on 1-butenefeed may be within the range of 600 h⁻¹ to 10000 h⁻¹, preferably 700 h⁻¹to 1000 h⁻¹, more preferably 800 h⁻¹ to 900 h⁻¹.

The catalytic cracking of 1-butene produces, apart from target productsethylene and propylene, various hydrocarbon groups depending on theexpected pathway to form different products. These hydrocarbon groupsinclude 1-butene (reactant), cis- and trans-2-butene (double bondisomerization products), other olefins (betenes, pentenes, and hexenes)and n-butene isomers (skeletal isomerization and cracking products),alkanes (hydrogen transfer products), aromatics (benzene, toluene,xylenes and ethylbenzene; hydrogen transfer products), and C₈+hydrocarbons (aromatics other than benzene, toluene, xylenes, andethylbenzene, alkanes and olefins; oligomerization and hydrogen transferproducts). The acid or base-modified silicalite-1 crystals as thecracking catalyst for 1-butene, as previously described, can improvelight olefin yields due to minimum side reactions such as isomerizationand hydrogen transfer reactions which lead to higher formation of C₈+including higher alkanes and aromatics.

The examples below are intended to further illustrate protocols forpreparing, treating and modifying silicalite-1 with an acid or a baseand protocols for assessing the catalytic activity of the modifiedsilicalite-1 described herein, and are not intended to limit the scopeof the claims.

EXAMPLE 1 Preparation of Silicalite-1

4.26 g tetrapropylammonium bromide (TPABr) and 0.74 g ammonium fluoride(NH₄F) are dissolved into 72 ml of water. Then, 12 g of filmed silicawas added and stirred until a homogeneous gel was foil led. The gel wassubject to hydrothermal crystallization process at 200° C. for 2 days.The molar composition of the gel is 1SiO₂:0.08TPABr:0.10NH₄F:20H₂O. Thegel was washed with water and dried at 80° C. overnight. The templatewas then removed by calcination at 750° C. for 6 h in air.

EXAMPLE 2 Acid Washing of Silicalite-1

Silicalite-1 was subject to acid washing (1 M HCl) at 100° C. for 24 hand washed with H₂O. The sample was dried at 110° C. and its catalyticactivity was tested. 5 g of silica was mixed with 100 g of an aqueoussolution of hydrochloric acid. After this mixture was stirred for 24 hat 40 or 100° C. with reflux cooling, the catalyst was filtered, washedwith deionized water, and dried for 4 h at 110° C. The XRD pattern andtextural properties of HCl-washed silicalite-1 are presented in FIG. 1and Table 1, respectively.

EXAMPLE 3 Base Treatment of Silicalite-1

4 g of Silicalite-1 was filled with 20 g of a mixture of aqueoussolutions of ammonia (25 wt. %) and ammonium nitrate (7.5 wt. %) into aglass beaker. This was kept into a polypropylene bottle and stirred at90° C. and autogeneous pressure for 1 h. The sample was then washed withdeionized water, filtered, and dried at 110° C. for 4 h. The XRD patternand textural properties of NH₃-treated silicalite-1 are presented inFIG. 1 and Table 1, respectively.

The surface areas of the catalyst sample were measured by nitrogenadsorption at −195° C. with Autosorb-1 (Quanta Chrome), BET equationbeing applied to the isotherm.

An samples exhibited characteristic peaks of MFI structure in the ranges2θ=7-10° and 22-25°. Three major peaks were observed for all thesamples. The first peak observed at about 2θ=7.9 is superposition of thediffractions from (−1 0 1), (0 1 1) and (1 0 1) faces, diffraction from(0 1 1) face being the main peak. The second peak observed at about2θ=8.9 is superposition of the diffraction from (0 2 0), (2 0 0), (−11 1) and (1 1 1) faces, the diffractions from (0 2 0) and (2 0 0) facesbeing dominant. The peak observed at about 2θ=23.2 is the diffractionsfrom (5 0 1) face.

TABLE 1 Properties of Silicalite-1, HCl-washed silicalite-1 andNH₃-treated silicalite-1. Si/Al Surface Pore d_(spacing) molar AreaV_(total) ^(c) diameter Sample/Example (Å) ^(a) ratio ^(b) (m²/g)(cm³/g) (Å) Silicalite-1 3.825 2165 425 0.28 21.8 Acid-washedsilicalite-1 3.802 2499 400 0.23 21.8 Base-treated silicalite-1 3.8892035 367 0.19 22.3 ^(a) Evaluated by XRD; ^(b) Si/Al molar ratio by ICPanalysis; ^(c) Total pore volume.

EXAMPLE 4 Catalytic Activity of Modified Silicalite-1

The catalytic performance of the modified silicalite-1 catalysts wasevaluated in a fixed-bed packed with 2 ml of catalyst with a particlesize of 0.5-1.0 mm diameter. The catalyst sample was pre-treated in anitrogen stream at 550° C. for 1 h and then a mixture of the 1-buteneand nitrogen (5 ml/min and 25 ml/min, respectively) (GHSV=900 h⁻¹) waspassed through the catalyst bed at 550° C. The products were analyzed byon-line GC equipped with a GS-Gaspro column and a flame ionizationdetector (FID).

The results of catalytic performance of silicalite-1 and modifiedsilicalite-1 samples for 1-butene cracking are presented in Tables 2 to4. The changes in the total composition of ethylene and propylene as afunction of time on stream are shown in FIG. 2 for silicalite-1 andmodified silicalite-1 samples. The activity decay and changes in thelight olefins composition were small for the time on stream of 1-5 h.

TABLE 2 Catalytic cracking of 1-butene over silicalite-1 at 550° C.Time-on-Stream (h) Parameter 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 Product yield, wt %Methane 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Ethane 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Ethylene 9.3 8.38.1 7.6 7.2 Propane 1.4 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.8 Propylene 34.0 33.5 34.2 33.632.9 Butanes 3.7 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.7 1-Butene 6.2 7.0 7.6 7.9 8.0trans-2-Butene 8.1 9.0 9.8 10.2 10.5 Iso-Butylene 13.5 15.2 16.5 17.117.6 cis-2-Butene 6.2 7.0 7.6 7.8 8.1 Pentenes 7.0 7.8 8.5 8.9 9.2Hexenes 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 Benzene 0.9 0.6 1.7 1.5 1.4 Toluene 3.2 2.21.2 1.0 0.9 Xylenes + EB 1.2 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 C₈+ 4.5 3.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

TABLE 3 Catalytic cracking of 1-butene over HCl-washed silicalite-1 at550° C. Time-on-Stream (h) Parameter 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 Product yield,wt. % Methane 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Ethane 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 Ethylene16.5 16.1 15.7 15.5 15.2 Propane 3.2 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.6 Propylene 35.6 36.236.6 37.0 37.3 Butanes 4.4 4.2 4.1 4.0 3.9 1-Butene 4.1 4.3 4.5 4.6 4.7trans-2-Butene 4.8 5.1 5.3 5.4 5.5 Iso-Butylene 8.5 8.9 9.3 9.5 9.7cis-2-Butene 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.4 Pentenes 4.1 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.6 Benzene2.4 2.3 2.1 2.0 1.8 Toluene 7.5 7.0 6.6 6.3 6.0 Xylenes + EB 3.4 3.2 3.02.9 2.9 C₈+ 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

TABLE 4 Catalytic cracking of 1-butene over NH₃-treated silicalite-1 at550° C. Time-on-Stream (h) Parameter 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 Product yield,wt. % Methane 0.9 0.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 Ethane 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 Ethylene17.7 16.9 15.3 14.9 14.7 Propane 3.0 2.7 3.2 2.9 2.7 Propylene 39.1 39.540.7 41.0 41.2 Butanes 3.9 3.8 4.2 4.1 4.0 1-Butene 4.2 4.5 4.8 4.9 5.0trans-2-Butene 4.9 5.2 5.8 6.0 6.1 Iso-Butylene 8.6 9.1 9.8 10.1 10.3cis-2-Butene 3.9 4.1 4.5 4.6 4.7 Pentenes 4.2 4.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Benzene1.4 1.3 0.8 0.7 0.7 Toluene 5.0 4.7 3.0 2.8 2.7 Xylenes + EB 2.7 2.5 2.22.0 2.0 C₈+ 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.2

Thus, the foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplaryembodiments of the present invention. As will be understood by thoseskilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or essentialcharacteristics thereof. Accordingly, the disclosure of the presentinvention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting of the scopeof the invention, as well as other claims. The disclosure, including anyreadily discernible variants of the teachings herein, defines, in part,the scope of the foregoing claim terminology such that no inventivesubject matter is dedicated to the public.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A process of producing ethylene andpropylene, comprising: treating silicalite-1 crystals to an acid washingand/or a base treatment to produce modified silicalite-1 crystals; andcontacting gaseous 1-butene in a reactor with the modified silicalite-1crystals to catalytically crack the 1-butene to form a mixturecomprising ethylene and propylene; wherein the modified silicalite-1crystals have an average particle size of 0.02 mm to 1.0 mm in diameter,an MFI framework, and a Si/Al ratio of 2035-2499.
 2. The process ofclaim 1, wherein the catalytic cracking is carried out in the presenceof an inert gas.
 3. The process of claim 1, wherein the catalyticcracking is carried out at a reactor temperature within the range of450° C. to 750° C.
 4. The process of claim 1, wherein the catalyticcracking is carried out with an on-stream time of 1 to 5 hours.
 5. Theprocess of claim 1, wherein the catalytic cracking is carried out at ahydrocarbon partial pressure within the range of 5 psia to 50 psia. 6.The process of claim 1, wherein the catalytic cracking is carried out ata gas hourly space velocity of 600 h⁻¹ to 10000 h⁻¹.
 7. The process ofclaim 1, wherein the reactor is selected from the group consisting of afluidized bed reactor and a fixed bed reactor.
 8. The process of claim1, wherein the silicalite-1 crystals are calcinated before and/or afterthe acid washing and/or the base treatment.
 9. The process of claim 1,wherein the process produces at least 50 wt. % total ethylene andpropylene based on the total weight of the 1-butene.
 10. The process ofclaim 1, wherein the process produces ethylene and propylene in a ratioof ethylene to propylene of 1:2 to 1:3.